Davidsonian 9-21-22

Should we be mourning Queen Elizabeth II? Inside the Company’sShakespeareRoyalvisit to Davidson

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The Yowl documents one student’s COVID diary

COVID-19 in 2022: Fall Semester Brings Policy Changes

When the COVID-19 pandemic began in March of 2020, there was no clear end in sight. This semester, Davidson College has opted to loosen most of it’s COVID safety restrictions, with full classrooms, large gatherings, mandatory vaccination, and mostly unmasked faces.

Beginning when students were initially sent home on March 14, 2020, the College’s Core COVID Response Team has closely monitored the pandemic and taken measures to keep students, faculty, and staff safe.

When asked about Davidson’s current COVID mitigation strategies, Mark Johnson – a member of the Core COVID Response Team and Davidson’s Chief Communications and Marketing Officer – stated, “we have moved from the intense focus on impeding the virus from the early months of the pandemic to managing the disease by equipping our community with the tools to prevent it: vaccines, tests, masks, hygiene.”

This semester there have been 66 confirmed COVID cases among students. There have been 13 rapid COVID tests administered by nurses at the Center for Student Health & Well-Being, 26 self-performed rapid tests during the week of August 29 to September 2, 117 during the week of September 5th to the 9th, and 49 on September 12 alone. Currently, there are 13 active cases on campus. While these statistics point to a continued spread of COVID-19 on campus, the data is not entirely reliable. Testing is no longer mandatory, and widespread campus messaging pertaining to COVID has generally subsided. Therefore, cases are counted on an individually-reported

basis.The procedure for what to do when a student tests positive has been simplified compared to previous years. In the earlier stages of the pandemic, when a student had close contact with COVID, they were required to quarantine for 14 days. Now, students who test positive for COVID have to isolate themselves in their room for a minimum of five days and wear a mask for an additional five days. The individual’s roommate can continue to live in

the same room, so long as they wear a mask at all times. Johnson rules this an effective strategy, as only 10% of all campus cases this semester have resulted from living with an infected individual.

Davis Varnado ‘25 shared his COVID experience. He explained that while he did have symptoms 3 days prior to testing, “the worst of them had already passed.” He did not suspect he had COVID until a friend who he’d been with had tested positive.

When talking about the isolation period, Varnado compared his experience to “a weekend at home.” He also talked about getting food while in isolation.

“They give you this [...] orange form and you have a friend give it to Commons, so if they go with the [sick person’s] Cat Card, they can get meals for you and take them to go,” he said. “One time I asked my friend to get me Union sushi, so they [came] to my room, I gave them my Cat Card, and they went.”

He also said that his friends would “talk to [him] occasionally through his doorway or out the window,” so overall, Varnado’s experience having COVID as a student this semester was

“very easy.”

Professor Thomas Muzart of the French and Francophone Studies Department shared his thoughts on the new COVID protocols, noting his personal thoughts as a language instructor.

“It’s extremely difficult to teach language with masks,” he said. “We have noticed [...] that when the professor wears a mask, you cannot see the mouth, so it’s hard for students to read the lips and answer. So sometimes students are less inclined to speak up when they have a mask [...] [Not having to wear] a mask is changing the whole experience of language instruction.”

He explained that he feels comfortable because “everybody’s vaccinated, there is access to the booster for [...]. Omicron, and the other variants that are accessible,” as well as the fact that “there is [...] a possibility for everyone to adapt to their own level of comfort [with masking].” Muzart also said that if he ever wanted to mandate mask-wearing in his class, he would “be supported by the administration [...] and students.”

Campus Administration Bans Blacklists at PCC Events

assault resources to ensure safety at open campus events.

For years, student leaders on Patterson Court Council (PCC) have utilized unofficial “No-Go Lists” or “Blacklists” as a way to keep survivors of sexual assault safe at open campus events. Simultaneously, Davidson College has banned these lists, citing conflicts with Title IX regulations. This year, the administration has cracked down on this ban and is instead guiding students towards using risk managers and other available sexual

Mike Goode, Director of Student Activities and the Alvarez College Union, explained how the No-Go/Blacklists have become problematic. Because there is a no-questionsasked policy, there is no process for evaluating who is on these lists. And once someone is listed, Goode asks, “how do you get off?”

He continued, “Is [this] a form of justice we all think is appropriate at Davidson College? Once someone is listed, guilty or not, there is no way off?”

A common student body belief is the

assumption that Martin Court—and specifically Armfield—apartments are associated with certain PCC organizations. As Goode explained, there are difficulties with this attribution.

“In your private space, you are in your apartment […] [you] could decide who is welcome in your apartment,” he clarified. However, the Student Activities Office explicitly informed students who run these organizations that those parties “cannot be organization [affiliated] events because they can’t host parties in private spaces like that, because they can basically ignore all the rules

that the college has come up with.”

Private organization events still retain a level of inviting autonomy. “[They can] manage that. Because it’s not open to campus,” said Goode.Grace

McGuire ‘25, a member of Rusk Eating House, explained the previous No-Go list process. “Anyone that makes someone uncomfortable in the eating house organization could put that person on the list and then that person would be emailed: ‘We don’t want you to come to this event.’”

EMILY HAZIM ‘26 (SHE/HER) STAFF WRITER

Data as of Monday, September 18. Graphic by Brigid McCarthy

Green Party and Libertarian Party candidates debate

College to Promote New Safety Expectations on the Court

is “having to retrain” students — or maybe just train them in the first place.

Shakaya Walcott, Assistant Director of Student Activities, and Goode are in charge of the Student Risk Manager Training. Risk managers are students selected by PCC who are required to monitor big PCC social gatherings.

On one hand, the student-led aspect of the risk management training forces organizations to take an active role in the handling of sexual assault at their parties. However, it also lays a huge amount of responsibility upon young adults.Further misconception extends to the idea that the “ban” on these lists is new. In reality, the college is reasserting it’s opinion on the problems it has with these lists.

“No-Go lists have never been okay from the perspective of the college,” Goode said.

Walcott explained that, during a PCC leadership retreat she ran, there was a list of announcements which included a reminder that “No-Go lists aren’t a thing […] we are not doing them.” She also spoke with the PCC Executive Board to clarify the reasoning: “because of the No-Go lists, cases of sexual assault were not staying confidential — unlike if they were reported to resources such as Title IX — which created an unsafe environment.”

Why this year, then? Why now re-assert this No-Go list ban? Goode stated that although he and Walcott are not entirely sure, they have “theories.” It may seem like there is a recent push against these lists because of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

“One thing we noticed in Student Activities is that people don’t know how to do stuff [anymore],” such as register for an event. Goode believes the gap created by the pandemic has caused a rift in the peer-to-peer learning that is passed through to the incoming generation of students. Therefore, the college

President of Students Against Sexual Violence (SASV) Marybeth MonacoVavrik ‘23 reported that, in addition to risk management training done by the college, SASV is “trying to raise more awareness and do a bunch of educational stuff with the eating houses and sororities.” SASV has also created flowcharts that help students figure out what to do if they’ve been victim to sexual assault. “[These flowcharts] have been created to show you what your options are so you don’t have to read through all of the legal jargon yourself. We have tons of infographics and that is something we disseminate through campus regularly,” Monaco-Vavrik reported.

Davidson College has a Title IX Coordinator, Carley Dix, to specifically handle cases of sexual assault. Goode also talked a lot about “interim measures” that Davidson can set in place for students in the midst of the Title IX process. He said that, “while students are involved in the case resolution with the college, temporary measures can be put in place where [for example] a student can be temporarily banned from a certain organization or two students [involved in the case] can’t be in Union at the same time.”

Still, confusion lingers. Lucy Helene ‘25, Education and Promotion co-chair for Turner Eating House, mentioned how she would have liked to hear more about why the “No-Go Lists” were being banned and more emphasis on how to help students who have been sexually assaulted.

“I attended the PCC retreat. It was a couple hours long and right at the end of the meeting an announcement [that continued banning of] no-go lists was made. I was pretty upset,” she said. “Students have tried to go to more established staff members. The Title IX

BELLE MCKISSICK STALEY (SHE/HER) STAFF WRITER

OnSeptember 15, 2022, two politicians of two different third parties— Libertarian and Green—sat facing each other in the Alvarez Student Union Sprinkle Room, preparing to converse. Despite the pre-plated pre-debate hors d’oeuvres and business casual attire, the event did not flaunt the typical air of two-party political discourse. The debate, after all, was not centered around controversy, but rooted in community.

“Even if someone’s not gonna go and vote for a third party after this event, it will get their mind thinking about potential alternatives to the two party system,” said Jack Magner ‘23, President of the Center of Political Engagement. “This debate speaks to community building [...]. By meeting with people who are running for office, even though the event is not a campaign opportunity for them, I think we’re getting to learn about the issues that they care about.”

While a great opportunity for community engagement beyond campus, the event was sparsely attended by Davidson students. However, the lack of zealous support for alternate parties is not new within Davidson’s political scene.

“As of right now, The College Libertarians is a one person club, but the whole point of me even continuing in the Liberterian club at Davidson was specifically to keep it alive,” said President and sole member of the College Libertarians at Davidson, Kevin GarciaGalindo ‘24. “In past years, we used to have a Democratic Socialists of America club but that sort of fell down. The Republicans have a pretty low membership perpetually. Then

there are the Democrats. Last year I checked and I think more than two thirds of the campus was actually subscribed as a member of College Democrats on Wildcat Sync, which is really crazy. I just want to see more political diversity and actual conversations between different political ideologies.”

Aside from Libertarian and Green Party club leaders, other members of Davidson’s student body did not attend. However, this unique ability to connect, despite situation, location, or time is not a reality for Libertarian North Carolina Senate candidate Shannon Bray.

“Politics are extremely draining,” said Bray. “With social media you’re constantly sharing your ideas, and then you get a thousand people telling you how wrong you are…I am locked out of my Facebook account […] I had been labeled an extremist.”

Bray humorously reflected on his final Facebook post, “It was ‘alright, Democrats, I’ve spent 4 years bashing Trump, now I am going after Biden.’ ” He defended his rhetoric, “the only thing I have ever been extreme about is ‘don’t mess with my Constitution.’”

Green Party North Carolina Senate candidate Mathew Hoh, explained his reactions to community pessimism Bray has noticed on social media.

“The hopelessness that is being felt [by a lot

of people] is based upon the knowledge that having hope implies that something is going to change,” said Hoh.

Rather, Hoh seeks a government call to action, “It’s not a question of hoping but rather doing […] you have to do something. No one is coming to save you. No one is coming to rescue your future. You are the only people that can do that.”

As a Green Party candidate, Hoh wants to return power to the people. He hopes to become a guiding, amiable hand people can seek to trust in.

“A political party is only one appendage — one arm of a larger body.

[...] We are trying to build a vehicle that allows people to participate in the electoral process,” he said. “I am almost 50 years old and I’ve seen the destruction of our society and our planet. But from what I’ve seen, the understanding that working together, working collectively, working for the greater good is always the right way to go about it.”

Like the American population, Davidson’s student body also diverges in political beliefs. Nevertheless, Magner cites the importance of uniting under a common political understanding.

“I think everyone goes into politics out of some sense of passion and understanding. I

think this helps strengthen the community they live in […] politics helps achieve the individual’s policy goals, essentially, politics is just about protecting people and ensuring that certain communities can remain safe.”

According to third party supporters, the political party scene offers areas for everyone to find belonging in — whether posted on WildCat Sync or not.

“Most people understand that this binary structure we have, blue versus red, left versus right, is not accurate,” Hoh said. “It doesn’t truly reflect the reality of the political spectrum. You’re giving people other options and you’re allowing people the opportunity to vote for someone rather than take part in a system that might possibly misrepresent them.”

At the Senate debate, while Hoh and Shay disagreed on many things, they shared core beliefs. Despite their acknowledgement of the wrongness of everyday life, both stated growth can still be nurtured. While each candidate hoped to plant different seeds for the future, Shay and Hoh agreed that through a passion for community, the political garden of America, rather than simply being a host to either hopeless rot or over abundant growth, can be seen in many shades of green.

“I think it would have been great had more people seen the dynamics between the two of us because not at one point did one of us look at the other and say ‘Shut up, man,” said Shay at the end of the debate. “When I run for President, I am going to ask him [Hoh] to be my VP. We have the same goal. I believe it’s important to go into politics thinking ‘we might try my way, but if it doesn’t work, I’ll try yours’.”

process is very disappointing on campus and students have already lost faith in that. So these no-go lists were the last hope.”

Trash outside a Martin Court Apartment complex, the morning after. Photo by Bailey Maierson

Historical Dive into Davidson’s Political Parties

The history of politics at Davidson is unequivocally tied to two buildings, Eumenean and Philanthropic Halls. More commonly known as Eu and Phi Halls, the two-story, temple-form brick edifices in the Greek Revival style sit on the edge of campus, past Chambers and near Main Street. They are some of the oldest buildings on Davidson’s campus, aided by the labor of local enslaved people between 1849 and 1850. While both the Philanthropic Society and Eumenean Society began as literary societies, as time progressed

they gained another role: public forums. Early debates that laid the foundation of Davidson’s politics ranged from “ought students associate with ladies while pursuing their studies?” to “ought the Indians to be driven from the land they occupy?” These debates have since shifted to political discussions and are now run by the campus’ Democrat and Republican organizations.Intherun-up to each presidential election, the two opposing groups host debates on the balconies of the historical halls. Students talk across the narrow divide, trying to reach common ground and build bridges across political divisions.

Besides co-hosting debates each election cycle, the Davidson College Democrats are frequent sponsors of many other political events. Recently, the club hosted a trivia night and canvassed for House of Representatives candidate Christy Clark. They are also currently volunteering for Congresswoman Alma Adams’ re-election campaign. The Davidson College Republicans have fewer planned events due to low enrollment in the club. While these organizations are the main political vehicles on campus, they are not alone. Other organizations, such as Sunrise Movement Hub—a group working to mitigate the climate crisis—and Davidson

College Libertarians exist on campus and give students an opportunity to express themselves politically.JackMagner ‘23, President of the Center for Political Engagement, offers some advice for students looking to engage in politics on campus. “For students, getting involved, understanding issues that they care about, pushing for those causes, and meeting people who are currently running for office — even if some students are too young to vote — meeting people who can fairly represent and reflect their same political desires, I think is a vitally important part of ensuring the future that they want.”

AUDEN WHITE ‘26 (HE/HIM)

Historical interior of Eumenean Hall and exterior of Philanthropic Hall. Photo courtesy Davidson Archives Committee Committee

Perspectives

STEVE MIRABELLO (HE/HIM)

According to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, around 300 American colleges and universities have green funds — initiatives to sponsor student-led sustainability projects. Thanks to a new Student Government Association (SGA) pilot program, Davidson College is now among them.

Young people around the world are leading the fight for bold action to address the climate crisis. After all, ours and future generations will bear the most severe consequences of inaction. We need not wait to witness their destructive power. Over the past few months, record summer heat waves and wildfires have scorched France, China, and other nations. Flooding in Pakistan has killed over 1,500 people and displaced 32 million. And an ongoing drought has killed thousands of Somalians and forced hundreds of thousands more from their homes. In an unjust twist, the countries least responsible for the climate crisis are suffering the brunt of its impact.

The scale of this crisis can feel overwhelming, but action is our only option. While we must continue pushing for decisive national and international responses, institutional change also matters — and can often be more accessible and immediate. Davidson students recognize this. In the September 2021 SGA

elections, for instance, improving the College’s sustainability was a common theme across many candidates’ platforms, including my own. After being elected, I prioritized helping create avenues for students to contribute to this cause, especially for those who aren’t environmental studies majors or involved with organizations like the Sustainability Collective. Through conversations with various campus groups and research on other schools’ sustainability approaches, I learned about green funds and discovered that the SGA previously spearheaded a similar initiative: the Sustainability Council. By February 2020, the Council had reviewed 16 project submissions, ranging from composting at Patterson Court to a pop-up thrift shop. Unfortunately, like so many other programs, it faltered during COVID and no longer existed by the time the class of 2025 entered Davidson.

Last winter, the SGA began working closely with the Sustainability Office to design a new Davidson Green Fund with the goal of directly supporting student-initiated sustainability projects. At the end of the semester, the SGA Senate voted to establish a two-year pilot program to gauge student enthusiasm and participation. By collaborating with another established campus organization, we hope this initiative will have the stability to survive student turnover.

The Green Fund will only become permanent, however, if

the pilot program receives substantial student interest. That’s where you come in. Whether you’ve thought deeply about how Davidson could be more sustainable or were inspired by past projects, the grant application process is easy. Interested students email sustainability@davidson.edu to schedule a meeting with the Sustainability Office. The Office will give you feedback and help you collaborate with relevant campus offices to ensure your project’s success. Then, you’ll submit a grant proposal to bit.ly/GREENFUNDAPPLY. If your proposal is approved, the SGA will fund your project and, together with the Sustainability Office, help you implement it. With each project, we make Davidson a little greener.

Davidson students are vocal and care about sustainability. We now have a new opportunity to channel that passion into tangible change. Let’s embrace it.

Steve Mirabello (he/him) is an intended philosophy, politics, and economics major and French and Francophone Studies minor from Washington, D.C. Steve can be reached for com ment at stmirabello@davidson.edu

BEN PATTE ‘26 (HE/HIM)

QueenElizabeth II passed away on September 8, 2022 at her Balmoral estate in Scotland. What followed in the Western world was an expected positive outpouring of condolences and support for the monarch. What surprised me is just how many people in the West have never questioned the existence of and role of a modern monarchy. When examining the Queen’s role as the head of a colonial empire, it becomes clear that her death should not be mourned.

Throughout her tenure as the head of the British empire, Queen Elizabeth managed to maintain a relatively clean image, often being likened to a ‘Grandmother’ figure to many Brits. Her favorable coverage in the British media and public relations efforts by the royal family allowed her to maintain a high public approval rating during her lifetime, and by the time she died, she enjoyed a 75% approval rating among the British public.Itis important to pay close attention to the media coverage of Elizabeth’s death in the parts of the world which the British empire had colonial control over when she took the throne in contrast to many of the Western outlets, such as the BBC. In India, WION news covered the Queen’s death by examining various colonial grievances that occurred during her rule. Compare that with the coverage in many American media outlets, which mainly showed photo ops and ‘cute’ moments from over the years, while never discussing the troubling history of the British monarchy.

Despite her wholesome, innocent persona, Queen Elizabeth presided over a colonial empire which extracted trillions of dollars in wealth from developing countries and engaged in systematic oppression—none of which she ever publicly acknowledged or apologized for.

In the 1970s, facing immense public scrutiny into her wealth, the Queen successfully lobbied the British parliament to pass a law that would hide disclosures related to her massive fortune from the public. The fact that this lobbying occurred was not made public until an investigation done by The Guardian revealed so in 2021. Many sources estimate her wealth to be in the ballpark of half a billion dollars, which is largely derived from generational inheritances that have recently been cushioned by a new law exempting monarchs from Britain’s estate tax. King Charles III will not have to pay an estate tax on his large inheritance. British citizens must pay an estate tax of When40%.

Diana, Princess of Wales was engaging in charitable work to combat the stigma of HIV/AIDS in 1987, the Queen told her to focus on something “more pleasant.”

In 2004, facing rising electricity costs, the Queen requested that funds from a government program intended to help the poorest British citizens pay their bills be directed to the royal family to heat their palaces. While the request was denied, it goes to show that even modern monarchs will consistently act in their own self-interests even if it harms the poor.

When sex trafficking survivor Virginia Giuffre sued Prince Andrew in 2021 for the sexual abuse that she had been subjected to while being trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein, the Queen agreed to pay for a portion of his $14 million legal settlement.

These examples of royal behavior show that the Queen will stop at nothing to protect her self interests and those around her at any cost. To overshadow these egregious behaviors, the royal family engages in carefully executed photo-ops and PR stunts which amount to nothing short of propaganda. One way that the royal family has been effective in their messaging has been to create an illusion that the Queen does not have political power.

A common misconception that many have of British monarchs is that they are powerless figures, merely relics of a former political system. As the Queen of England, Elizabeth wielded immense power over her country. Through a political power known as “Queen’s consent,” any parliamentary bill that has an impact on the Queen must be granted consent from the Queen before debate is to proceed. During her rule, the Queen exercised this power over 1,000 times. The structural framework that allows for this power in a modern “democratic” government is unacceptable.

Upholding the monarchy as an institution in any form in the modern world is extremely abominable as it is inseparable from the history tied to it. Commonwealth realms are countries that have historical ties to Britain, usually in the form of colonialism, and whose head of state is the current British monarch. Currently, King Charles III is the symbolic head of state in 14 countries which used to be British colonies. The number of Commonwealth realms has fallen over the years as former colonies have cut ties to their historical oppressor.

Just as America is reckoning with its history of slavery and anti-indigeneity, we should also recognize how institutional colonialism is being upheld in other parts of the world in its modern form. Americans must see through the illusion propagated by the Western media class that Queen Elizabeth was a wholesome Grandma. Her role as a bystander and often enabler of nefarious abuses of power is nothing to celebrate.

Ben Patte (he/him) is an intended economics and political science double major from Milwaukee, WI. Ben can be reached for comment at bepatte@davidson.edu

Brigid McCarthy ‘25, Katie Stewart ‘23

Georgia Hall ‘25

Nada Shoreibah ‘23

Gray Eisler ‘24, Bilal Razzak ‘25

David Sowinski ‘22

Campbell Walker ‘25

Andrew Elkadi ‘23, Varun Maheshwari ‘23

Nora Klein ‘24

Emma Begley-Collier ‘25, Josie Hovis ‘23

Bailey Maierson ‘25

Ben Gordon-Sniffen ‘23

Sahana Athreya ‘25

Sierra Brown ‘25

Isabelle Easter ‘25, Bailey Maierson ‘25

WE: More than a Mentality, a Way of Life

ANNIE HIRSHMAN ‘24 (SHE/HER) SPORTS WRITER

Asautumn leaves begin to fall and temperatures begin to cool, football becomes a focal point of Davidson Athletics. Davidson Football is a true tradition in the town of Davidson. Fans flock to Richardson Stadium as cheerleaders celebrate and football players battle for bliss and victory. After battling a top-tier program at Jacksonville State, losing in a close and competitive match, they beat both Barton College and St. Andrews – showing true athleticism, hard work, and heart.

The senior leadership on the team is one of the reasons why Davidson Football is playing at such a high level. Head Coach Scott Abell stated that being a captain is an incredibly difficult role as you serve as a liaison between the team and the coaches. However, he stated

that the six captains are acting as true humble servants and are “doing a tremendous job in leading our Johnathonprogram.”Hammond ’24 discussed this year’s captains and their extraordinary qualities. He begins with Kaedon Jenkins ‘23 and Jaden Pask ‘23, two dynamic leaders on the defensive side of the ball. He referred to Jenkins as a relatable “lead by example type of guy” who is always there to bring a smile to your face. Pask, on the other hand, acts as a hype man, serving as a big brother to everyone on the team. Similarly, Hammond referred to Bradyn “Bull” Oakley ‘23 as the offensive hype man, always providing inspiration and offering a voice of reason. He referred to Dylan Sparks ‘23 as the goofy leader who knows when it is appropriate to crack jokes, but also knows when it’s time to zone in and focus. Finally, Hammond commented on the “Gandalf of leaders,” the wise owl of the

team, Coy Williams ‘23. Williams, a fifth-year senior, is the one who each and every player looks to for anything football, and even nonfootball, related. Williams praised Hammond, the team’s lone junior captain, applauding him for his “great work ethic” and his ability to be a true role model.

The captains are not the only players to keep an eye on this season. Coach Abell commented on how the freshmen class have done a wonderful job in terms of transitioning to college football and showing that they have true potential. He commented on how some players have “really [stepped] up” in terms of on-field contribution. Hammond continued this assertion, noting how TJ Magee ‘26 has already scored on a kickoff return and Cam’ron Willis ‘26 is already rotating through the defense. In terms of sophomore returners, Hammond said Aaron Maione ‘25 is definitely one to be excited for, adding that he is “one of

those guys who stays after practice” just to get a few extra reps in.

In terms of preparing for the future, Coach Abell stressed the importance of taking it day by day. He stated that “what makes football very unique is there is one game a week,” and that his team is “able to grow each day, stay in the moment, and not get ahead of [ourselves].” Therefore, the team can focus on the “WE Mentality”: win everything, win everywhere, with everyone. He stated that all he can ask for is that each and every one of his players brings the best version of themselves to the field, not for themselves, but for each other. He believes this game plan is what is going to lead them to a Pioneer League Championship for the third year in a row. Hammond, going off of Abell, asserted that if all goes well and they remain the hard working herd that they are, “a dominant year” is ahead.

New and Familiar Faces Propel Volleyball to Strong Start

VICTOR TAYLOR ‘24 (HE/HIM) SPORTS WRITER

Davidson Volleyball has gotten off to a solid start to its season as conference play approaches. The Wildcats are sporting a 5-4 record so far after three nonconference weekends of play, with one more upcoming at the Charlotte Invitational. With both a strong returning group and the addition of some very talented first years, the ‘Cats are proving that they have aspirations to compete with the top of the conference this year.

The ‘Cats started out the year on the road in Wilmington, NC, where they opened the season with a loss to Coastal Carolina. However, the next two matches of the tournament were much kinder to them, with big wins coming over the hosts UNC Wilmington, as well as a big-time win over ACC foe Virginia Tech. Bella Brady ‘24 matched her career high in digs against the Seahawks to cap off a strong opening weekend for the reigning A-10 Co-Defensive Player of the Year, which then earned her the opening Defensive Player of the Week award from the league.The next weekend put Davidson at home to host their own Wildcat Invitational, where they dominated NC A&T and Lindenwood to open the tournament. However, Saturday’s

contest against a strong New Mexico State team proved to be too much for the Wildcats.

After going down two sets to none, the ‘Cats showed a lot of grit to squeeze out a 29-27 win in the third set, but couldn’t keep the momentum going and dropped the fourth set.

Freshmen Emma Slusser ‘26 and Kayla Davis ‘26 were the ‘Cats who were named to the AllTournament team, with Slusser also picking up Rookie of the Week honors from the league office.Last weekend’s Winthrop Invitational was a bit of a speed bump for the ‘Cats, as strong Wyoming and Delaware squads put dents in the team’s momentum. However, the team rebounded well to finish the day out with a four set win against the hosts. Slusser was named to the All-Tournament team once again, with Brady, Jessie Doyal ‘24, and Xuan Nguyen ‘25 having strong weekends as well.

Brady thought that this was the most impactful weekend so far, saying that the ‘Cats “have an especially young team, so facing teams that challenge us both mentally and physically is veryTheimportant.”‘Catslook towards playing decadesold rival Charlotte and another ACC team in Wake Forest this weekend, then to opening A-10 conference play with a home back-toback against Duquesne. Doyal said that the squad was super excited for conference play

because “we were underestimated with our fifth place prediction in the pre-season poll, and we believe we can win the conference title this year,” and encouraged the student body to be in full attendance for the contests against Duquesne.Thisgroup

has the potential to be one of the best squads the Wildcats have fielded since they’ve joined the A-10, and the team

knows that. With a strong non-conference performance behind them, both with wins and learning opportunities, the ‘Cats are ready as ever to take on the A-10 this fall.

Jonathan Hammond ‘24 rushes the quarterback in a 56-6 win over St. Andrews on September 17th. Photo courtesy Tim Cowie/DavidsonPhotos.com

The ‘Cats celebrate a point during a 4 set win over Winthrop on September 10th. Photo Courtesy Tim Cowie, DavidsonPhotos.com

Coy Williams ‘23 finds daylight in Davidson’s rout of St. Andrews. Photo courtesy Tim Cowie/DavidsonPhotos.com

Arts and Culture

Intentionality in the use of Shakespeare: The Royal Shakespeare Company

AMIRA MCCORMICK ‘26 (SHE/HER)

This past weekend, from September 8 to 11, the Royal Shakespeare Company hosted a Learning Residency at Davidson focused on the company’s 2019 production of “The Taming of the Shrew.” In addition to watching a screening of the play, participants were able to attend a number of events, including discussions on the play and Shakespeare as a playwright.

“The Taming of the Shrew” is a comedy follwing a man named Lucentio, who is looking to court a woman named Bianca. However, Bianca’s father instilled a rule that Bianca’s older sister Katherine must be married before Bianca can be courted. Although Katherine is known to be bad-tempered and “shrewish”, a man named Petruchio begins to court her. Petruchio looks to “tame” Katherine into an obedient wife.

Significantly, this production was genderreversed: Bianca becomes Bianco, Lucentio becomes Lucentia, Petruchio becomes Petruchia, and so on. Though the character is also gender-reversed, the name Katherine is retained in this production. Joseph Arkley, the actor for Katherine, and Leigh Toney, the assistant director of the production, were both present at the residency with us.

Following the Friday screening of the play was a panel discussion with Arkley and Toney, moderated by Professor Cynthia Lewis, Davidson’s resident Shakespeare expert. Professor Lewis asked Arkley and Toney many questions before the floor was opened up to the audience for questions. One question asked was why this story needed to be told again. What exactly is being said with this production? In the days to follow, we would dive into these questions and explore them thoroughly.Saturday September 10 , the third day of the residency, included an event called “Shakespeare Now,” where participants discussed why we still study the 400-year-old work of Shakespeare. In setting the stage for the discussion, Toney stressed the necessity to draft conversation and how important it is for everyone to articulate and offer their opinions fully.While we may diverge on our opinions,

we should be able to thoroughly unpack the reasons we subscribe to our beliefs. This stress for conversation would be an integral theme for many of the discussions to follow. Should we do Shakespeare, should we not? That is, should we still discuss his works, perform them, utilize them? This question was constant during the discourse. In the best case scenario, Shakespeare can be used to provide insight on many elements of the human condition, and, with different interpretations, we can highlight certain themes more than others. We can play with what is being shown in order to show what we want to say. Conversely, there are detriments to utilizing Shakespeare’s work, as seen with plays like “Othello,” “Titus Andronicus,” “The Tempest,” and “The Merchant of Venice.” These plays are highly offensive in the portrayl of non-white, nonChristian characters. As we discussed the impacts of performing such plays, it seemed that there were more questions than answers.

We continued to chew on this before Toney posed a difficult question to the group: “What would happen if we stopped producing Shakespeare altogether?” Shakespeare’s works can highly offend, but does that mean his works shouldn’t be performed? It is important to note, though, that Shakespeare’s name offers a certain sway in the theatre world. In other words, he has a “brand” that can draw in audiences.

Toney and Arkley stressed the importance of intentionality when working on a play. If we can interpret and alter his plays in different ways that do more good than harm, then maybe we are able to reconcile with the issues in the pieces. How is it that we can educate ourselves as well as others when producing a play? It is the job of the actors and directors to mold the work into their artistic vision, allowing creativity to bring forth change.

On the fourth and final day of the residency, another discussion was held called “What is problematic with Shakespeare.” Like the day before, the group sat in a small, intimate circle on the Duke Family Performance Hall stage. President Doug Hicks was in attendance, as well as other faculty members. This time, it was just Toney who led the conversation. We first returned to a topic from the previous day: the problematic portrayal of non-white, non-

Christian individuals in Shakespeare’s works. How do we tackle the inherent problems in his pieces? Though we can’t necessarily solve the problems in the play, we can highlight them in order to portray an obvious wrong. In “The Taming of the Shrew,” for example, the gender-reversal does not change or fix the problems, but by putting the problem in a different light — in which we see an oppressive matriarchy instead of a oppressive patriarchy — we can highlight the problems in our own patriarchal society. When people are approached with something foreign and unfamiliar, they can see the familiar under this newToneylight.further explained that one of the leading factors behind the creation of this production was the #MeToo Movement, as the production was intended to be put on during the height of this movement. Within the discussion circle, many spoke about how the production caused them to reckon with their own internal Intentionalitymisogyny.was strongly emphasized throughout the residency, as it’s important to know the intentions of a work for the audience

New & Noteworthy

CAMPBELL WALKER ‘25 (SHE/HER)

to leave understanding what the director and actors look to achieve. In addition to making intentions clear, it’s important to simply have a conversation. Directors and actors want the audience to walk away from a production thinking about what they just saw and perhaps relating it to their own experiences, or even thinking about a new perspective that the production brought to their attention. While personal reflection is necessary, it is even more critical to have a conversation with others. Dialogue is not achieved enough, and if audience members leave a production with only their interpretation in mind, this lack of discussion can lead to a narrow understanding of the art.

Amira McCormick ‘26 (she/her) is from Miami, FL, and can be reached for comment at ammccormick@davidson.edu.

Pearl September 16, 2022

As a prequel to horror film X (March 2022), Pearl provides an villian-origin story for its titular charac ter. Starring Mia Goth, this film depicts Pearl’s spiral from a caretaker of her father into a dark and twisted character.

(Self-Titled) by Marcus Mumford September 16, 2022

Marcus Mumford from folk-rock band Mumford and Sons explores his solo career with this atmospheric and insightful album. With features from a multitude of artists, including Brandi Carlile, Clairo, and Phoe be Bridgers, this album delves into Mumford’s expe rience with pain, healing, and forgiveness.

Devil in Ohio: Season 1 September 2, 2022

A young girl named Mae (Madeleine Arthur) escapes from a cult in Amontown, Ohio. Dr. Suzanne Mathis (Emily Deschanel) allows Mae to move in with her family. As members from the cult make persistent at tempts to bring Mae back, Suzanne begins to reveal secrets from the girl’s past.

Scene from The Royal Shakespeare Company’s The Taming of the Shrew Photo credit: Ikin Yum, RSC.

Living Davidson

Sahana: What does religion mean to you?

Awais: It’s a way to feel better about existential dread.

Isa: The way that I interpret Christianity is more radical and through a social revolutionary lens. In that sense, I feel like it goes along really well with the ideals, or the values of queer expression, which is challenging social norms. In my opinion, that is the original motivation of Christianity, even though it’s not necessarily that now. I think of the figure of Jesus as a revolutionary figure, because he was oppressed by the power structures of the day and associated with people on the margins of society. He challenged legalism and the traditional teachings and was more about expressing love and bringing people into community. That aspect of it draws me in. I like the word ‘spirituality’ more.

Sahana: How do you differentiate between religion and spirituality?

Isa: Religion implies some kind of tradition; there’s some kind of history there, and community, so it’s less individualistic. There’s more structure to it, which can be a good thing or a bad thing. Spirituality motivates me personally and the way that I want to interact with people.

Sahana: Why do you think spirituality is important?

year to give us a sexuality talk, and I remember one time they brought in this guy who gave us statistics on how queer people have higher rates of addiction, suicide, mental illness, and said that all of that is a byproduct of being queer. I was peeved that he was putting that on queerness instead of the societal stigma around being queer, and the way that people like him treat people who were queer. And there were just a lot of things at my school that were making me hate religion, hate spirituality, and so I quit going to church. But then in the Presbyterian Church, in ninth grade, you go through a process called confirmation, which is learning about the church, learning about how the specific denomination works, how Presbyterianism works, and then also going to other bodies of worship. ... And so while the school was shutting me off, I had the wonderful experience of getting to explore my religion in a safe space. And I think if I hadn’t had my church, I definitely would not still be Christian.

Awais: Growing up in Pakistan with religious extremists? Yeah, not smooth sailing.

Sahana: What advice do you have for someone who’s trying to bridge these identities?

We Are Wildcats is a human-interest column that aims to share the extraordinary within the ordinary at Davidson College and to showcase the inspiring things that make each and every Wildcat unique. If you wish to be featured or know someone whose story needs to be heard, please feel free to contact saathreya@davidson.edu! Stay tuned for future stories! This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Queerness and faith are often considered to be mutually exclusive entities. Throughout history, LGBTQ+ people have been oppressed, imprisoned and prosecuted in the name of organized religion. This impending danger made worship and religious communities inaccessible to many queer youth. In this week’s article, we will hear from Awais Abid ‘24 (he/ him) about Islam and creating a new community, Ellie Stewart ‘24 (she/her) about bridging two seemingly dichotomous identities, Isa DeGuzman ‘25 (she/her) about the social revolutionary facet of Christianity, and Max Shackelford ‘25 (he/him) about reclaiming faith and spirituality.

Awais: We’re all isolated from each other in the LGBTQ+ community. We’re all bound by oppression, like a lot of minority communities. But we grew up alone. We don’t grow up with our people. Other minorities mostly grew up with their own people, so they have a community. This is not like, let’s say, a Muslim group in the US - they’re not isolated from each other. So when you’re growing up with religion, which offers us a sense of community, we tend to go back to it; it’s hard to let go of it.

Max: Religion and queerness feel like wearing two different hats for me. ... The way I behave myself in Catholic contexts and the way I behave myself in queer contexts on campus is slightly different. And I think that’s something to the effect of code switching.

Sahana: Has the path to practicing your faith as a queer person always been smooth sailing?

Ellie: Not at all. ... They used to bring in a speaker once a

Awais: Just like in figuring out what you like to eat or what flavor of ice cream, pick whichever aspects of spirituality from whichever religion or practice works for you. Find the spiritual beliefs that work for you and for your sexuality. It’s subjective. It’s everyone’s own journey. Everyone’s going to find their own thing.

Sahana: Ellie, I hear you’re starting a queer inter-faith organization on campus. Would you like to tell us more about it?

Yeah, so I’m starting an organization that is tentatively called the Queer Interfaith Fellowship group. ... I’m active in religious spaces that are affirming to queer people. I’m active in queer spaces that anyone can be in. But there’s not really a community for queer people of faith to have community to get to know each other and talk about issues like this and also to talk about the joys of intertwining faith and spirituality with queerness. ... My hope is that we’ll be able to find community and get to know each other on a deeper level while also getting support.

*Full interview can be found on The Davidsonian’s website.

Which First-Year Dorm Are You?

We all have had one. We all were shaped by one. We all have overflowing opinions on them, and today is the day to finally find out, once and for all - which first-year dorm are you?

How would you describe your firstyear orientation experience?

A - Actually, kind of enjoyable.

B - Exhausting to the point you lost all feeling in your feet.

C - Orientation? Was that, like, required?

D - So. Many. People.

It’s time to shower in your first-year dorm. How does it go?

A - You get distracted and end up having a whole conversation with your hallmate in your robe/towel.

B - Someone else showering is blasting ABBA and singing along. Take that as you will.

C - When will the water pressure get beter in here??

D - All the showers are once again, full.

Mostly A’s: Watts

Congrats! You got the best dorm (the author of this quiz does indeed live in Watts, but they are not biased in the slightest). Watts has the perfect mix of introvert and extrovert en ergy and the biggest rooms - what else could you ask for?

Pick a shade of red.

A - Does pink count?

B - Bright, firetruck red.

C - Dark, blood red (...creepy but okay.)

D - Davidson red!

Quick! You get to Commons at 7:10 on a Friday. What meal are you pick ing with your limited time?

A - Artisan Flatbread/Sandwich Bar - go ing with something reliable and easy.

B - Salad bar, obviously. That’s what you were going to pick no matter what.

C - You immediately panic and step into the first line you see without even checking to see what they’re serving. You hope for the best.

D - 7:10? You definitely just went to Davis instead.

Mostly B’s: Little

You have very nice, chill energy. Those who live in Little love it, but most everyone else couldn’t find it on campus.

Mostly C’s: Rich

Aw honey. I’m sorry.

It’s a Wednesday night - where can you be found?

A - Nummit, of course. You are a trivia whiz.

B - Libs. You probably don’t know what day it is anyways.

C - Um, in bed?

D - Warner! You need your mid-week break.

Pick a movie to watch in your lounge.

A - Mean Girls

B - Something gory, most likely.

C - You’ll watch something on your computer instead, thank you very much.

D - A child’s cartoon movie.

Mostly D’s: Belk

You are quite literally a mem ber of a cult. I have nothing else to say, even though I know you’d love me to.

YowlThe

Irreverent student journalism since 2004. Castigat Ridendo Mores.

yowl.com/stillascam

A List of Reasons Why My Stomach Might Be Hurting Right Now

Page Soothe by CVS

Fiji Kiddie Pool: Who Got in There, Be Honest

Page Giardia

Phi Beta Kappa Scam

September 21, 2022

How to Live in the Moment and Stop Cleaning Up Spills at PagePartiesYour Couch Is Now Fermenting

The Bodily Function Issue

What’s Sportsman ship? Football Field Now Exempt From Honor Code

Page 6-56

New Library Tally Board to Track Num ber of All-Nighters by PageGradeFirst Years Winning

What’s That Smell?

Every

year, Davidson’s best and brightest aka those who have the highest academ ic stick up their asses finally get a re ward for all of that clenching when in mid-Au gust they are made aware of their nomination for the academic honor society, Phi Beta Kap pa. Now, if you, like this author, thought that was just another IFC frat, you might not get the hype. However, we here at the Yowl have been assured that Phi Beta Kappa is actually a major prestigious award (think really, REALLY big gold star sticker).

A major scandal broke when incoming se niors who, despite thinking they would not be on track for Phi Beta Kappa, received a nomination email over the summer. “I was a little surprised that I actually made the cutoff,” said biology major Alex Clark, “I had definitely slacked off in a couple of my Ways of Knowing requirement classes, and participating in Week of Champions without fail every semester–including the COVID year–has not always put me on the right track.”

It turns out that this year, ev ery single member of the senior class received an email from “smartppl@hotmail.com” tell ing them that they had qualified for this ultra prestigious group. An excerpt of this email read: “It is my pleasure to inform you that you have been elected to Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious ac ademic honor society” and also “all you need to confirm your spot is send your PayPal info back to this email address and we will secure your spot thank

you.”Despite

T&I’s constant warnings against the dangers of phishing, a whopping 67 se niors sent their PayPal info to this email ad dress, which means that 67 parents’ PayPal information got hacked. Especially tragic, two people who had actually gotten into the real Phi Beta Kappa responded to both emails. Raquel Greene, one of those two in dividuals, said that she is “pretty bummed to have my bank info hacked” but “over all happy to know that although I might be dumb, I’m still smart.”

When asked for a comment, Doug Hicks said that the college staff are handling this issue internally. However, Hicks has been looking especially fashionable and has fol lowed Carol’s lead in buying a Tesla…does college presidency really pay that well on its own?

It has been well doc umented for the past month that something is assaulting the nostrils of anyone in the vicinity of our campus’ beloved Qdoba. To the first-years, I swear that it didn’t use to be this way. For one glorious semester, we had unimpeded access to food on campus that wasn’t from Commons or Davis Café. Sure, Wildcat Den may be a delightful din ing spot, but it’s only open for lunch! Fellow upper classmen, weren’t we in awe back in the good ole’ days? It was such a bliss ful time. However, Carol Quillen giveth, and Doug las Hicks taketh away.

At least, that was one stu dent’s opinion I received in my canvassing for this article. This conspiracy theorist told me, “As soon as Hicks arrived on cam pus, he began his agenda to transform Davidson back into precisely the same place he graduated from in the 60’s.” When I corrected this student about Hicks’ true grad uation date in 1990, he scoffed and rambled on about other things such as the 2nd Belk bust in the early semester and why he

thought the ------(medita tion room on 2nd libs)----- was locked now.

One economics major had an interesting take: “I think the stench is an intentional mechanism by Davidson College Dining administrators to decrease demand at Qdoba. Last year, every day at 4:32pm a munchy line would form out the door of starved students with bloodshot eyes and giggly tempera ments. The Qdoba work ers complained and nearly unionized, so they fab ricated the stench. Quite genius, I might say.” Then the SAE risk manager I was speaking to proceeded to en ter their F apart ment with this excuse: “Sorry bro, gotta go. This is my lucky Friday night song, meaning I always get lucky when this song plays if ya know what I mean.”

I asked thetoCollegeDavidsonDiningcommentoneconomics

major’s take and the situation in

COVID Chronicles: A Look at the Log

general, but instead re ceived an automatic re ply trying to recruit me to apply for a job as a Com mons worker.

There was one last inter view I conducted for this article, just with a ran dom student I confronted on the Union terrace. She said, “Isn’t it just sewage? There’s a drain right near Qdoba.” A convincing ar gument, but neither I nor the student body at large seems convinced.

Below,

the Yowl highlights excerpts from a particularly COVID-conscious individual who remained highly at tuned to the ways in which the disease kept her down.

Dear TodayDiary,isday

201 of Covid. While my rap id test and even PCR have remained nega tive for months, I know something is up.

When I get to problem #14 of my calculus homework and encounter the problem,

I immediately get incredibly confused. When I look at this problem, it feels like day one of Covid again, and brain fog is off the charts.

I tried going to the Health Center this morning because of my tiredness lingering from Covid. They had the audacity to ask me, “How many hours of sleep do you get per night.” When I told them eight, they seemed happy! I thought it wouldn’t matter much to clarify that five of those are from

Five-Hour Energy drinks and the other three are from sleep. On average, it is still eight.Body

aches are still bad. The only possi ble explanation other than long-term Covid is evidenced by a video my friend took of me falling off the second F balcony. But I landed on mostly grass, so my bet is still on long-term symptoms.

Fever. Some people might say I am just horny. I would beg to differ–I am pretty sure most people do not get aroused listening to “No Hands”? I don’t think so. That is abso lutely weird and concerning behavior and I

have to chalk it up to Covid yet again.

Well,Dear************Diary,wehaveto

erase the whiteboard that says “198 days since a positive test” now and write a big ole zero. My initial Covid diagnosis was in February. But just this last week it got kicked back up again and I test ed positive! It is wild to think it has been hiding in my system for so long.

Uses for the Yowl:

#1) Propping up wobbly tables! If you see the image to the left, you can tell that someone clearly identi fied a problem (a table was wobbling) and found the solution (the YowlTM).

#2) If you think of any other uses, let us know!

Note: The Yowl is a satirical supplement to The Davidsonian Hence, nothing in it should be taken as truth.

Lord Shackleton